Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

I am a self-admitted grocery shop-aholic but even I can see that one girl spending $370 on groceries for one and a half people (The.Boy and I don’t eat together every night, after all…but when we do, he eats for two so it’s kind of a rough estimate) in one week…is a little much.

No, LITERALLY. It’s a little much.

Which is exactly what I told my credit card company yesterday morning when I, during my almost daily obsessive checking of my bank account and credit card statements, spotted not one.

Not two.

But three fraudulent charges. All made on Tuesday.

Oh yes, little credit card thief…you went to all the trouble of stealing someone’s credit card number and all you got to buy was two hundred dollar’s worth of pantry staples and possibly a whole lot of organic veggies. But probably, since you’re a pretty bad person, I’m imagining (wishing) you to be ugly and artery-clogged…so in all likelihood you bought two hundred dollars’ worth of stale donuts to try to make you feel better about yourself when really, they’re just going to go to your thighs and bring you one step closer to a heart attack. So you needn’t have bothered.

So….apparently I can be a bit vindictive when provoked. It happens.

Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure whether to pat myself on the back for being so neurotically diligent. Or cry.

I may have done both.

And then I may have wished REALLY.HARD that this cake would magically reappear in front of me because if there was anything I was in the mood to do, it was emotionally eat away my anxiety about the situation.

No such luck. But a girl can dream, can’t she?

I made this cake for The.Boy’s birthday a few weeks ago. It was totally his choice – I let him loose on my pinterest boards and this is what he decided on.

And I have to say…the kid has good taste.

If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream as much as we do, then you will be head over heels for this. I didn’t get a picture of the insides before we (and a few of his friends and family) devoured it, but picture a rich chocolate and mint-infused cake filled with buttercream that tastes exactly like ice cream. Yeah. It was magical.

And while I can’t say for sure that it will cure any and all credit fraud woes…I have a hunch that it will. A strong hunch.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, and baking soda, really trying to break up any clumps of cocoa powder that make have formed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Combine the water and the milk. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixer. When they are almost totally incorporated, add in half of the water/milk mixture and mix together. Repeat with half of the remaining dry ingredients and then add the remaining wet ingredients. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and Andes mints, making sure to really scrape the bottom of the bowl and get everything really mixed together.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove from pans. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

In a food processor, pulse the chocolate until it is in fine shards (alternatively, you can grate the chocolate…but I just didn’t have the patience!). Set aside.

Combine the egg whites and the sugar in the bowl of a large (VERY CLEAN) stand mixer. Whisk together. Fill a small saucepan that the stand mixer’s base will fit snugly into without touching the bottom of the pan, with an inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer. Place the mixing bowl on top of the pan. Heat the egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until they are hot to the touch and when you rub a bit between your fingers, the sugar has dissolved and is not gritty in any way.

When the whites are hot, transfer the mixing bowl to your mixer and fit it with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until the whites have cooled down (i.e. when the outside of the bowl has reached room temperature). Reduce the speed to medium-low and add in the room temperature butter in tbsp-sized chunks, making sure to wait in-between additions. Once all of the butter is added, increase the speed and whip until it comes together and is light and fluffy. (It might take a while, but it will happen!) Mix in the mint extract and really just a TINY BIT of food gel coloring.

Stir in the shredded chocolate by hand.

To assemble the cake:

Chill the cake layers until they are cold (wrap in plastic wrap, 30 minutes in the freezer).

Place one cake layer top-down on a cardboard cake round. Spoon a cup of frosting on top of it and spread it, going all the way to the edges, across the top of hte cake. Place the second layer on top of this, also top-down. Use a spatula to spread frosting around the top and sides of the cake.

To decorate the cake as I did, fit a piping bag with a large star tip and put the remaining frosting into it. Pipe rosettes around the border of the cake, making sure they touch. Put an Andes mint chocolate in the center of each rosette.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.

91 Responses to Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Oh, there is nothing worse than discovering that someone has been helping themselves to your credit card. I hope you managed to get it all sorted without too much hassle. A situation like this definitely calls for cake…

Oh yuuummm that looks amazing! Kind of weird they used your credit card multiple times! Seems like they’d be more likely to get caught that way. I’ve been there though. I’m a super smarty and dropped my credit card at a gas station, so the next like 8 people all paid for their gas with it. At least credit card companies are VERY good about taking off the charges!

Thank goodness for the ability to monitor credit card use over the Internet! That’s very scary–and yet another reason why it is important to use a credit card (responsibly) versus a debit card (which a thief can use to clean out your account).

Good for you for being so diligent with checking your accounts Joanne. It would make feel slightly less angry that the thief bought groceries that I would want to believe they really needed and not diamonds, but how violating. As for the cake a much needed comfort I would say after the angst of having your card stolen.

Now that that’s out of the way, I recently had fraudulent charges show up on TWO of my accounts. I had to close everything, re-order cards, submit claims, change passwords, the whole deal. It was more than stressful. I feel for you. You definitely deserve more cake.

(amazing that only a couple of years ago this phrase would not make sense… 😉

sorry about the fraudulent charges – being a certified control-freak, I check all my credit cards daily (husband would roll his eyes to the ceiling if he was here watchine me type) – and had one experience with someone buying 4 thousand bucks in furniture in England! Oh well…

I’ve had my credit card used by someone who apparently needed $300+ product at a CVS. Since I’ve never been to a CVS, my CC company actually called me. I hope that dude snorted his crushed up aspirin right into a 5-day migraine. This cake…want. I don’t need to see the inside. I know what’s there. I know.

I think the fraudster deserves some slack if he bought organic stuff, and a bigger plus if he’s vegetarian:) Considering US statistics, there is a high possibility that is artery is already clogged, or expected to be during his lifetime.

I’m so sorry your card got hacked. Hopefully, you aren’t responsible for the charges. What a pain it is, though, to get a new number. I love baking cakes, and will use any excuse to do so. This cake is stunning, and I think cakes can be hard to photograph. This one loves the camera. Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream. Sadly, my husband hates mint. His loss. You might want to consider adapting my trademark way of serving cakes. There’s always one slice missing. It’s a food blogger’s duty to slice into it and show off the inside. My friends and family are used to it. Ha!

That overspending on food is only for you and your credit card! And btw………..that’s where most of my income goes, too…Forget cable, new clothes, and high quality make-up. Food. All. The. Way. And this cake certainly looks like it was worth every penny! 😉 🙂

Ugh, how frustrating! It’s a good thing you were so vigilant. A few years ago, someone charged precisely $1.67 to my cc at a pet store in the UK. Luckily, the cc company caught it right away. Still, I do wonder how that could have possible happened.

This cake, though. I do love mint and chocolate, and I love the addition of Andes mints on top (yum!).

Sorry to hear about your credit card thief. That sucks. My MIL had that happen and it got straightened out but, was a bit of a pain. I hope it goes well for you. The cake would remedy all woes though! The boy does have good taste, it sounds and looks absolutely delicious!

OMG that cake!! I absolutely love mint and chocolate together so I’ld really be head over heels for this! I must really try this one at home!I’m really sorry to hear about your credit card 🙁 damn thieves. think positive, at least they didn’t take THIS cake 😉

That used to be my favorite ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Looks amazing.

Someone hijacked my credit card a couple of years ago and first bought a tank of gas and then a Mac computer. The Mac store flagged it as possibly fraudulent and then let them take it anyway. Idiots. I had a call from the Visa fraud unit after it was too late.

First, I feel your pain! Our credit card was stolen and the dude used it to start a gay dating account and book four hotel rooms in two days. Kind of hilarious and disgusting and infuriating all at once. If you want to be a skank, do it with your own money, honey! lol. Thankfully we got that money back but it still makes me mad the guy got away with it. As for this cake, YOU’RE KILLIN’ ME. What a lucky boy you have.

I’m making my own partner’s birthday cake today (procrastinating it as I type!) and if he hadn’t already put in his request – chocolate, same as last year, mud cake like – I’d be showing him this as I suspect he’d fall completely in love. I hope it hit the spot for you in managing the credit stress as well as making for a very happy birthday for The Boy!

Omg. I am ALL OVER that frosting! I want this for MY birthday! Also, I hate hearing about people stealing credit card numbers. Good thing you have a wicked eye!! I feel like I’m not observant enough to even spot something like that!

Wow! How could this not have been the most wonderful birthday of his life :-). This looks amazingly delicious. I love the sweet treats you’ve been sharing lately and can’t wait to give this one a try. Have a great weekend. Blessings…Mary.

Oh my gosh! That has happened to so many people I know, but I have never experienced credit card fraud. Or maybe I’m not that careful about what goes on on my credit card..This looks fantastic! He definitely made the right choice 😉

I had a check stolen several years ago and the person changed the name of the person it was written out to and tried to cash it. I had to go to court and testify and everything, it is just a gross feeling. Glad yours was simple to take care of!

You are one amazing woman Joanne! This cake looks like a professional baker made it. So beautifully decorated and piped! I love how you let the boy select his own birthday cake off of Pinterest. You’re right he has good taste!

This post contains both my dream cake and greatest nightmare, all tied together in the same dizzying prose. I’m not sure whether to start pouring over my own bills in a panic or hit the kitchen to preheat the oven! Hugs to you for managing both like a true champ.

ugh, i remember when we found out that someone had fraudulently been spending on our card too, such funky, random online spending. it was so bizarre and infuriating. i’m sorry you had to deal with that!

i feel as though you have gifted me with this cake seeing that chocolate mint is the best thing to ever happen to me! delicious!

Your mad pastry skills are improving even more Joanne. This looks pastry chef perfect. Seriously. So jealous. The Boy definitely has good taste (in desserts and women my friend), and having your credit card abused/stolen, etc. is MISERABLE and you have wished the very least that I would have wished upon such a fraud. We once had our identity stolen and someone try to clean out our entire checking account!!! Thank GOD for a very, astute banker (miles and miles from me) who called us to inquire before emptying our account to the thief. Silent prayer and thank you to that angel.

Mint choco chip is my absolute, hands down, hold the phone favorite!!! The boy really does have good taste! Some people really suck! I’ve had my account stolen a couple of times, luckily the bank caught it before I even knew and put a stop to it. Somebody actually stole my dad’s mail right out of his mail box a few weeks ago and somehow copied his checks he wrote for bills and made blank copies and tried to go on a shopping spree!!! What nerve!

I totally thought this was an ice cream cake when I saw the first picture, I can’t believe it’s not! It looks even better though, and your cake decorating skills are amazing! Sorry to hear about the credit card situation, I know it’s frustrating but I guess it could have been worse!

I am a huge mint chocolate chip fan. So I might have licked my screen. A few times. Pinning.

That is terrible about your credit card–I can understand the vindictive response. Also, I understand craving something when you “delay blog”. That happened with the Irish scones. And the crumb cake. And basically most of the stuff I post lol…

People are (ahem) assholes. I had my wallet stolen over 2 months ago and we are STILL dealing with issues – like my idiot bank continuously giving this person money from my account, even after I’ve put multiple fraud alerts on there. UGH. Anyway, I think Tom would especially love this cake and his birthday is coming up, so I’m going to show it to him and see if he chooses it! I kinda hope so…

[…] Alexis makes a delicious cookie dough inspired cupcake, which got us on the subject of ice cream flavors. Mint chocolate chip ice cream has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember and instantly a lightbulb went off for both of us. This year my birthday cake would consist of a dark chocolate cake with mint buttercream flecked with chocolate chips. And it was incredible. Of course, she made the recipe up and didn’t write anything down. So I found a similar recipe for you from eats well with others. […]